The present invention relates to fishing line floats or bobbers, and more particularly to spool-type bobbers capable of extending the weighted end of the line a measurable distance into the water after casting, and retrieving this portion of the line as the bobber is hauled up to the rod by the fishing reel.
A major advantage of a reel-type or spool-type bobber over a conventional, fixed position bobber is the capacity to draw the hooked end of the line up to itself as the spool-type bobber is being reeled in to the rod. In this manner, the spool-type bobber and the hook may be cast as a unit into the water, thereby permitting more accurate and extended casts than those obtained with fixed position bobbers. Once cast, the spool-type bobber permits the baited end of the line to descend into the water a preselected distance.
One drawback to prior art fishing bobbers that extend and retract the line remotely from the operator was their inability to measure the depth of the water in which they were cast. While it was, in some cases, possible to obtain a depth measurement by reverse calculation when the bobber was close to the angler, none of the prior art floats known to the inventor was equipped with a gauge that, upon retrieval, provided a depth reading of the area into which it had previously been cast. Once the fishing person began to reel in the line, the bobber gauge reacted by moving away from the actual sounding. In order to obtain a true measurement of the distance between the surface of the water and the bottom, the operator had to be able to read the bobber's gauge without retracting the fishing line. Thus, he or she had to be present, at least for a short time, in the area intended to be fished. If unable to wade or boat to this location, an accurate sounding was not possible; yet, to approach a promising spot too closely would tend to scare away the fish.
The present line-measuring fishing bobber is, upon retrieval, able to provide depth readings for waters into which it was previously cast. Unlike the prior art, it is provided with a movable indicia-bearing gauge that is driven by the movement of the line and with an index or pointer that may be positioned to move in tandem with the gauge as the weighted end of the line descends into the water. As the line is retracted, however, the index remains stationary. The closest prior art known to the inventor are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,177,697; 2,984,040; and 3,755,953. All three patents disclose line-controlling bobbers provided with indicators that are driven by both the extension and retraction of the line and with stationary indicia-bearing portions.
Other drawbacks to prior art line-controlling bobbers were their inability to play out additional line once the desired depth had been reached and their lack of watertight housings for their drive mechanisms. These drawbacks have been overcome in the present invention by placing a clutch or slippage device between the gauge and the drive mechanism, and by providing a line-engaging pulley external to the drive mechanism housing as well as watertight fittings between the housing and the moving parts extending into the housing.